Pavlov's dog
Bell-trained salivator
Pavlov's dog refers to the subject of Ivan Pavlov's famous conditioning experiments, where dogs learned to salivate at the sound of a bell that had been paired with food.
The phrase now describes anyone who responds automatically to a stimulus without thinking: Every time my phone buzzes, I check it like Pavlov's dog.
It suggests behavior that's reflexive rather than reasoned.
Of ancient Greece/Rome
- stimulusWhat prompts a reaction
- responseAnswer to stimulus
- bellHollow resonating instrument
- salivationMouth producing digestive fluid
association · unconditioned · conditioned · acquisition · extinction · generalization · discrimination · pairing
Mouth producing digestive fluid
- automaticOperating without intervention
- involuntaryNot under conscious control
- innateExisting since birth
- conditioned responseLearned reaction to stimulus
drool · anticipatory · triggered · knee-jerk · instinctive · physiological · digestive · glandular
Common English surname
- SkinnerBehaviorism's leading theorist
- operantProducing an effect
- reinforcementAdding support or encouragement
- behavioral psychologyStudy of observable conduct
learning theory · stimulus-response · scientific method · determinism · environmental · mechanistic
Facility for scientific investigation
- bellHollow resonating instrument
- metronomeAdjustable beat-marking device
- measurementDetermining size or amount
- controlledKept within limits
observation · Nobel Prize · Russian · physiology · 1900s · replication · demonstration
Behavior shaped by practice
- predictableAble to be foreseen
- unthinkingLacking conscious thought
- programmedSet with instructions
- manipulatedControlled through cunning
classical
Of ancient Greece/Rome
salivation · association · unconditioned · conditioned · acquisition · extinction · generalization · discrimination · pairing · contiguity
salivation
Mouth producing digestive fluid
- automaticOperating without intervention
- involuntaryNot under conscious control
- innateExisting since birth
conditioned response · drool · anticipatory · triggered · knee-jerk · instinctive · physiological · digestive · glandular · secretion
Watson
Common English surname
- SkinnerBehaviorism's leading theorist
- operantProducing an effect
- reinforcementAdding support or encouragement
behavioral psychology · learning theory · stimulus-response · scientific method · determinism · environmental · mechanistic
laboratory
Facility for scientific investigation
- bellHollow resonating instrument
- metronomeAdjustable beat-marking device
- measurementDetermining size or amount
controlled · observation · Nobel Prize · Russian · physiology · 1900s · replication · demonstration
trained response
Behavior shaped by practice
- predictableAble to be foreseen
- unthinkingLacking conscious thought
- programmedSet with instructions
manipulated · cue · prompt · habitual · ingrained
Pavlov's dogindependent thinker
One who reasons autonomously
free agent · free will · self-determination · maverick · nonconformist
Pavlov's dogcritical thinker
One who reasons carefully
philosopher · metacognition · skeptic · Socratic questioning